As I mentioned in the previous post, Prague was spared much in the way of bombing during World War II, which is why it is currently one of Europe’s most beautiful cities.
When I organize the pictures I’ve taken after a trip, I try to put similarly-themed images together. When the organizational dust had settled this time, I discovered I had one folder full of nothing but Prague buildings.
Other than the astronomical clock tower on the right, we usually had no idea what any particular building was or what it was used for. So we just snapped away.
(An astronomical clock is a clock with special mechanisms and dials to display astronomical information, such as the relative positions of the sun, moon, zodiacal constellations, and sometimes major planets.)
The Prague Astronomical Clock was first installed in 1410, making it the third-oldest astronomical clock in the world and the oldest one still operating.
In any case, rather than try and make a comment about each one, I put the remaining 27 pictures in a two-minute slide show, so you can tour the buildings of Prague in the comfort of your own home. We had to do it in the cold wind and rain. But don’t worry, we’re always happy to sacrifice our bodies for your pleasure! Wow, I guess you could call us your own personal blogstitutes!
When we first ventured out of our hotel room, we walked along the Vltava river until we came to the most famous bridge in Prague: Charles Bridge.
Excited to see such a famous landmark, we joined the crowd snapping pictures and selfies. Although it was a nice enough bridge, we couldn’t quite make out just why it was so famous. But who can say why some things get to be more famous than others?
After taking selfies in front of the famous bridge, we trudged through the nasty weather on our way toward the city center, and noticed there were in fact a number of bridges over the river. Eventually we came to one in particular which was really crowded with tourists.
Oh, that’s the Charles Bridge. Oops. We don’t even know the name of the not-so-famous bridge we were so gleefully snapping pictures of, but what the heck. A rose by any other name…
The Charles Bridge is pedestrians-only. During the busy season, it’s just one big sea of pedestrians.
As with any sea, there are occasional buoys –er, boys, floating about.
As well as some gulls, –er, girls, too.
Like any proper famous bridge, the Chuckie Bridge has a famous spot you can touch for luck. I figure any bridge that keeps me from touching the water beneath is plenty lucky already. Plus I have a hard time believing that touching something that a hundred thousand people before you have already put their germs on will bring you any kind of good luck. Or maybe they’re just referring to the fact that you’re damn lucky if you don’t catch something from it.
The construction of the Charles Bridge started in 1357 and finished in the beginning of the 15th century. It was originally and cleverly called Stone Bridge, or also, and just as cleverly, Prague Bridge. But it has been known as “Charles Bridge” since 1870 (King Charles IV began the thing), which, while not the cleverest of names, certainly is much more clever than the first two.
Today it’s a heavily touristed bridge that serves as a main thoroughfare to the Prague Castle, which is the largest ancient castle in the world. And we saw it! And you will too!
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